Bedtime Stories
by Steefwaterbutter
Summary: Armin can't sleep, Eren has nightmares and Mikasa asks for a story. Shameless fluff. Set between episode two and three. One shot.


_A/N: I don't own Attack on Titan/_ _Shingeki no Kyokin. If I did, it probably wouldn't be quite as good as it is._

 _Yay! First story for Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyokin (not sure which category to put it in...)_ _But anyway, I found this show a week or two ago and hoo boy. It has really become my new muse. Gah, I love all the characters so freaking much._

 _Fun fact: this story was written between the hours of 12 and 1 AM, which is rather appropriate considering the story's setting._

 _Anyway, enjoy!_

* * *

Eren was twitching again.

Armin watched him through bleary eyes that refused to close. He wrapped his arms around himself, nestling his shivering body deeper into the warm pile of hay that served as his bed. The place where the weary could rest. But there was no rest.

For hours he had watched the silver patches move across the dusty floor as the moon journeyed across the sky. Armin raised his fingers to rub at his burning eyelids. It was a movement that sapped energy, energy that he no longer possessed.

He glanced over at Mikasa and Eren's sleeping forms, barely visible in the darkness. Mikasa was perfectly still except for the slight rise and fall of her chest, but Eren's face was contorted, his lips moving to form words Armin could not understand.

It felt like in all the world, he was the only one awake, the only one left. Alone. All alone.

And owl hooted from somewhere far off and Armin flinched.

It could happen. Any moment, of any day, the colossal titan might decide to break another gate, to let in the hordes of their enemies. Any given moment might be the moment where the ground would shake with a resounding crash, the very earth quaking in response to the titan's blow.

The world around him smeared, the ground began to dissolve. Warmth slipped around him, blurring the edges of reality.

Then Armin jerked, and he was back, the frozen air stinging his cheeks where the tears had slid down. Armin blinked, but couldn't hold back a small sniffle. He wanted to join his friends, to slip into that world of darkness where nothing mattered, the only place where he could see them again. His parents. His grandfather.

But what if-

Eren started screaming. Armin's heart flew into his throat; he gave a shriek of his own and threw his arms over his head. When he lowered them, he saw Mikasa was already up, shaking Eren, whose eyes were still tightly closed, still screaming.

Armin pressed his back against the wall, his eyes wide. The hay scratched against his hands.

"Eren," Mikasa said.

Eren's eyes flew open and he bolted into a sitting position. He let in a huge gasp of air then began coughing violently, his entire body trembling. Armin bit his lip. His head throbbed, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Crybaby.

"You're alright, Eren, you're fine," Mikasa said, cupping her hand against his face and brushing his sweaty bangs out of his eyes.

Eren stared at her for a second, then his whole body seemed to crumple. He threw himself back down onto the hay, pulling his blanket around himself, face towards the wall. "Sorry."

"N-nightmare?" Armin said.

"...yeah."

"Do you wanna..."

"No." Eren's voice came out muffled.

Silence fell for a long moment.

Then Armin heaved himself up. His shoes thumped against the dirt floor, tiny clouds of dust rising with each step. The world swayed in time with his pacing footsteps, making him sick and dizzy. He jerked his hand through his yellowish hair, trying to make it stop. Eren's shoulders hitched.

Then Mikasa said, "Armin... will you tell us a story?"

Armin stopped, turned his head. "Wh-what?"

"Tell us a story. About the outside world." Mikasa's voice came out calm, steady, like it always was, but her eyes were troubled. She patted a spot on the hay next to her and Armin sank down into it, right between her and Eren.

"Well..." Armin gave a sigh and turned his gaze upwards towards the hole ridden roof, starlight spilling through the cracks to pool on the floor.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy. He... he loved to explore and saw many great things in his travels. Like a... a great lake of water, where water is salty. Near the edge, it ebbs and flows, making waves that don't stop, even when there is no wind. He saw great stretches of land with nothing but golden sand, heaped into great piles under a blood-red sun."

Out of the corner of his eye, Armin saw Eren stir, turn so that he too was facing towards the ceiling. His face was streaked, and his blanket knotted around his body, but the faintest shadow of a smile passed over his face.

"He saw fields of ice, covered with a fine white powder. He saw bears there, great white bears who swam in the freezing water. And at night, he saw the northern lights."

"What's... that?" Eren asked, his question interrupted mid-sentence by a yawn.

"They are brilliant ribbons of purple, blue and green light that dance across the sky. It's said they're one of the most beautiful things this world has ever seen," Armin said, closing his eyes.

"But the boy was lonely. He wanted someone to share these marvelous things with. And then... one day he found them. A girl named Mikasa and her friend Eren."

Eren gave a soft snort.

"They decided to travel together. They wrote down all they had seen and drew pictures of it too. There were times... when things were tough but... they... were happy."

Armin let out a long breath, feeling the tension in his body slip away, hearing the soft breathing of Eren and Mikasa beside him. He knew he would be safe between them.

Safe.

And Armin... felt happy.

* * *

 _A/N: Reviews make my day! (Like, literally, every time I see the email notification for a new review, I squeal a little. :D)_

 _I've got another AoT story in the works as well, so if you liked this story, keep an eye out._


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